Is school site contaminated?

Residents at the bottom of Lochside are questioning why a former rubbish tip was selected as the site for the North West Campus – with claims of noxious smells emerging as digging begins.
Explaining her concern, Jacqueline McDougall said: “It’s for the kids, because if there’s fumes coming out of there or anything come out of there, they’re going to be ill.
“Why they’re putting it there, we’ve never understood, but you know what the council’s like.
“The council never listens.”
Graham Construction are constructing the school as part of the £72 million Dumfries Learning Town project.
And project manager Frank Crilley met with residents last week.
Jacqueline said: “They’re actually admitting there is stuff now, and it’s costing £5 million to get rid of it.”
Pointing to the history of the site, Jacqueline added: “There’s rubbish in there, and everybody’s known that for 50-odd years, and now they’re digging up and somebody’s seen rats.
“The place is just a bog.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council were asked explicitly to state what materials have been discovered as a result of works so far, and to set out what will be done to address the situation.
Responding, a spokesman said: “Detailed option appraisal was carried out to select the site and develop the new campus to ensure that the community in North West Dumfries benefits most from the potential of the site and its facilities.
“The option appraisal for the site included ground conditions. Professionals with experience in site remediation have detailed an efficient solution that demonstrates value for money.”